Clip



July 14, 1931.

B. F. HORSTING ET AL CLIP I Filed Jan. 13 1928 Patented July 14, 1931 fNIT-En stares PATENT ()FFICE BERNARD F. HORSTING AND GEORGE C. LEPPLA,OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS CLIP Application filed January 13, 1928 Serial No.246,492.

This invention has as an object the provision of a new and improved clipof the character especially designed for' securing leather, hides, peltsand other materials to a supporting frame of the character illustratedin Letters Patent No. 1,438,355, granted Ewald E. Kornita and CarlBechstein, the 12th day of December, 1922.

Another object of this invention resides in the provision of an improvedclip which is capable of being readily attached to or detached from thematerial being stretched and which will have a firm grip on thematerial.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, our invention resides in the novel construction,combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafterdescribed and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it beingunderstood that such changes in the precise embodiment of the hereindisclosed invention may be made as come within the scope of the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, we have illustrated one complete exampleof the physical embodiment of our invention constructed according to thebest mode we have so far devised for the practical application of theprinciples thereof, and in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a clip embodying our invention;and

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the clip, a part thereof being brokenaway and in section to illustrate structural details.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings, 5designates a substantially elongated U-shaped member having upwardlyextending side flanges 6 end portions of the arm 8 are substantiallyflush with the outer faces of the flanges.

' The U-shaped member 5 and the flanges 6 are preferably stamped from asingle blank and a movable jaw or clamping member 1 1 is mounted in theouter end of the U, being of a width substantially equal to the distanceI between the flanges 6 and of approximately L shape with lateral pivotlugs or trunnions 15 at the opposite sides of the end of the transversearm of the L pivotally engaged in apertures 16 located in their flanges6 adjacent the lower forward portions. The other arm of the jaw member14 is of more or less arcuate shape and has its outer surface serrated,as at 17, and the free end thereof isyieldably urged toward the arm 8 ofthe U by an eXpansile spring 18 confinedbetween the arm 7 and the memberfree end, tips or projections 19 and 20 struck inwardly from arm 7 andthe jaw member, respectively, providing retainers engaged within the.coils of the spring to prevent its displacement.

A finger engaging portion 21 extends upwardly and rearwardlyfrom thefree end of the jaw member throughan elongated slot 22 in the arm 8 ofthe U so that an operator may engage an index finger within the loop 23at the closed end of the U and place the thumb'on the part 21. Thethumb'is prevented from slipping off the part 21 by the guides 9 whichalso protect the finger engaging member against distortion by blows andrough handling and also prevent accidental. releasing of the workclamped between the jaw member and the arm 8 by accidental depression ofthe finger engaging member2l.

A hook shaped barb or prong 24 is extended from the arm 7 of the Uadjacent its closed end, in the manner best illustrated in Figure 2, sothat when a hide or other material 25 is to be stretched, the operatorhandles the clip in the manner previously described depressing thefinger engaging member 21 with his thumb engaging the clip over the edgeof the material in the manner illustrated in Figure 1 at the same timeinserting the hook 24 in one of a plurality of apertures 26 in aperforated work supporting surface 27, the operator releasing thepressure on the finger member 22 and disengaging his finger from theloop 23 causing the spring 18 to cause thejaw member to firmly clamp thework in the clip. It will be noted that inasmuch as the movable aw ispivotally carried by the side flanges and the side flanges arepositioned in recesses formed in the side edges of the fixed jaw to havetheir overhanging portions directly above the jaw proper, all. strainsare received directly by the side flanges and spreading of the jawsunder tension is prevented. 7

To further facilitate speedy and efficient attachment of the grippingdevices to hldes and the like and attachment to stretching frames, theconstruction of the present device is such that it is only necessary topush the gripping member onto the edge of the material to be stretched;the shape of the teeth and the movable jaw being such that this actiondepresses the spring 18 and allows the jaws to be forced onto the edgeof the material Without the necessity of depressing the member 21.

The teeth or serrations 17 bemg of the shape illustrated in the drawingsand the jaw member having its pivot outermost causes the work 25 to bemore firmly held in the clip when a tension is applied thereto as willbe readily appreciated. All the parts being made by a stamping and thespring member being held in place by its own pressure eliminates thenecessity of special fittings and permits the production of the clip atan extremely low cost and at the same time the clip is extremely durableand capable of performing its functions in a hig ly satisfactory manner.

" What we claim as our invention is:

1. A device of the character described, comprising a main member havingside flanges, a fixed jaw member, means carried by the side flanges andextended over the fixed jaw member, a movable jaw member carried by theside flanges, and means urging the movable jaw member-towards the fixedjaw member whereby work placed between the jaw members is firmly heldthereby and the stress imparted to the fixed jaw member being receivedby the side flanges.

2. A device of the character described, comprising a main member havingside flanges, a stationary jaw member, means extended from the sideflanges and overlying the stationary jaw member, a movable membercarried by the side flanges, and means for urging the movable jaw membertowards the fixed jaw member whereby work placed between the jaw membersis firmly held thereby and the stress imparted to the stationary jawmember caused by the urging means and upon tension being applied to thedevice to stretch the work, being received by the side flanges.

3. A gripping device of the character described, comprising a mainmember formed of bendable metal to substantially elongated U-shape, oneof the arms of the U forming a stationary jaw member, side flangesextended from the other arm of the U, a movable jaw member mounted onthe secondmentioned arm of the U to cooperate with the stationary jawmember, and means interlocking the side flanges and the first-mentionedarm of the U whereby stress'applied to the stationary jaw is received bythe side flanges.

i. A gripping'device of the character described, comprising a mainmember formed of bendable metal to substantially elongated U shape, oneof the arms of the U forming a stationary jaw member, side flangesextended from the other arm of the U, projections carried by the sideflanges and overlying a portion of the stationary member to receivestresses applied thereto, a movable jaw member mounted between the sideflanges, and means urging the movable jaw member towards the stationaryaw member whereby work inserted between the jaw members is firmlygripped thereby, and the movable jaw being so shapec that tensile stressapplied to the work through the gripping device causes the movable jawmember to bite into the work.

5. A gripping device-of the character de scribed, comprising a fixed anda movable jaw member, means for urging the movable jaw member towardsthe fixed jaw member to close the jaws, releasing means operable tospread the jaw members against the action of the urging means to openthe jaws, said releasing means having a predetermined range of movementexterior of one of the jaws, and flanges serving as a tie between thefixed and movable jaw members and having parts positioned on oppositesides of the releasing means to protect the same against accidentalactuation.

6. A gripping device of the character described, comprising a mainmember formed of bendable metal to substantially elongated U-shape, oneof the arms of the U forming a stationary jaw member, a movable jawmember mounted on the other arm of the U to cooperate with thestationary jaw member, means for urging the movable jaw member towardsthe stationary jaw member, means operable to spread the jaw membersagainst action of the urging means, andside flanges extended from themain member and positioned to guard the releasing means againstaccidental actuation.

7. A device of the character described comprising a main member having apair of arms, the outer end of one of said arms forming a fixed jaw,means integral with one arm and having a part extending over and engagedwith the outer end of the other to positively tie said arms againstspreading at their outer ends, a movable jaw carried by the means fortying the arms together, and means for urging the movable jaw towardsthe fixed jaw whereby work inserted between the jaws is firmly gripped.

8. A toggle device for holding leather and other work under tension,comprising a holding member having spaced opposite arms, a flangecarried by one arm and extended through a recess in the other arm, ashoulder carried by'said flange and engage able with the outer face ofthe other arm to tie the arms together against spreading under stress,and cooperating means having a gripping surface disposed between thearms to hold leather and other work inserted between the cooperatingmeans and one of the arms.

9. A device of the character described, comprising a pair of spacedmembers, means for gripping leather or the like between one of themembers and said means, said means increasing in effectiveness uponapplication of tension to the device to stretch the leather or the like,means for tying the members together, and means carried by the tyingmeans and disposed adjacent the point at which maximum gripping of theleather takes place for receiving the strain produced by the tendency ofthe members to spread apart under tension to positively preventspreading of the members.

10. A device of the character described, comprising a pair of spacedmembers, means for gripping leather or the like between one of themembers and said means, said means increasing in eflectiveness upon theleather to prevent spreading of the members at the front end of thedevice.

12. A device for stretching leather and the like, comprising a pair ofspaced members, gripping means carried by the members for gripping theleather or the like, a stretching tension applied to the deviceincreasing the effectiveness of the gripping means but tending to spreadthe members, means for tying the members together, means carried by saidtying means and dis posed adjacent the point at which maximum. grippingof the leather takes place for receiving the strain produced by thetendency of the members to spread under tension to prevent spreading ofthe members, and means cooperable with the gripping means for releasing'the same.

13. A device for stretching leather and the like, comprising a pair ofspaced members, means carried by the members for gripping the leather orthe like, a stretching tension applied to the device increasing theeffectiveness of the gripping means but tending to spread the members,means for releasing the gripping means, means for tying the memberstogether, and means carried by said tying means and disposed ad-- jacentthe point at which maximum gripping of the leather takes place forreceiving the strain produced by the tendency of the members to spreadunder tension to prevent spreading of the members, said last meansforming guards to protect the releasing means against accidentalactuation.

In testimony whereof we hereunto affix our signatures.

BERNARD F. HORSTING. GEORGE C. LEPPLA.

application of tension to the device to ,the member against which thegripping means clamps the leather to positively prevent spreading of themembers at the front end of the device.

11. A device of the character described, comprising a pair of spacedmembers, means for gripping leather or the like between one of themembers and said means, said means increasing in effectiveness upon theapplication of tension to the device to stretch the leather or the like,means for tying the members together adjacent the rear end of thedevice, and means carried by the tying means and extendingrtoward thefront end of the device over and in overlapping engagement with themember against which the clamping means clamps

